Dallas St. Patrick’s Day Parade Brings Excitement & Dread

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Some residents of Lower Greenville Avenue are embracing the prospect of huge crowds this St. Patrick’s Day weekend, but others are more skeptical.

While most residents agree police have stepped-up their presence in the last few years and have kept most of the partying contained, most also agree the biggest lingering problem is parking.

“The best advice I can tell people is take public transit, take a cab, don’t park anywhere in a neighborhood,” suggested Greenville Avenue activist Avi Adleman. “You’re not gonna know if the sign was there and somebody took it out of the ground. You’re not gonna know where you are, if you don’t live down here and understand it. So, just don’t park in the area.”

Adleman is also concerned about what’s going to happen after the party. “So, you’re gonna have either a lot of people stay where the party takes place after the fencing comes down or they’re gonna wander around, being drunk, and bringing their won beer and stuff here,” he said.

Retailers are counting on alcohol being a part of the festivities.

Chris Hanks works at the Bottle Shop on Lower Greenville and said, “It’s gonna be a very profitable day for sure. It’s gonna be very good for my rent.”

Despite the anticipation or perhaps dread, the 2012 parade almost didn’t happen. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is footing much of the bill for the event.

The Greenville Avenue St. Patrick’s Day Parade begins at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday and starts at Blackwell and Greenville Avenue. The parade is expected to last two hours.